The ICC announced the list of match officials for the upcoming Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand. Paul Reiffel and Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires, while Joel Wilson will take over TV umpire duties.
Additionally, Kumar Dharmasena will be present as the fourth umpire, while Ranjan Madugalle will be the match official for this high-profile contest.
Indian fans will have bittersweet memories regarding the presence of Illingworth as an umpire. The Englishman took charge of the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which India lost in heartbreaking fashion, and the 2024 T20 World Cup final, where the men in blue won their first ICC trophy in 11 years.
Illingworth was also the standing umpire for the clash between India and New Zealand in their group fixture in Dubai earlier this week, where India finished top of the group thanks to a 44-run victory over the Kiwis. On Tuesday, he also went on to umpire the semifinal contest between India and Australia.
Australian Reiffel, meanwhile, was the umpire for the second semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa on Wednesday, where the Kiwis were the victors by 50 runs thanks to centuries by Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson.
Both umpires closing in on 100 ODIs
Illingworth is a four-time ICC umpire of the year, and is closing in on a century of ODI matches officiated as an on-field umpire. In his 15 year career, this will be his 99th ODI. His partner for the day will be similarly experienced, this being Reiffel’s 95th ODI match since his debut as an umpire in 2009.
India start off as favourites in this match, thanks to the advantage of having played all their matches in Dubai, while New Zealand have had to travel back and forth between the UAE and Pakistan. Moreover, India will take confidence from their victory against the Kiwis in the group stages, where Varun Chakravarthy starred with a five-fer, before which Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel played key innings with the bat.
New Zealand will have some optimism due to the batting form of their top order, including Williamson, Ravindra, Will Young and Tom Latham. The final will take place on Sunday at the DICS.
